Akutsu Challenges Horio

"Horio here."

"You've arrived too? Why is the victory celebration starting so early in the morning?"

At a street intersection, Horio, still looking sleepy, held a flyer in his hand.

Seeing Katsuro Katsuo from a distance, Horio finally seemed to have found an outlet for his frustration.

"I don't know, but can we go to the victory celebration party for the main candidates?"

"Since Oishi Senpai invited you, you can definitely go. Besides, Senpai Momoshiro was invited too, wasn't he?"

Horio was still half asleep, didn't want to think about any of this. He couldn't use his precious weekend to sleep because he was being dragged to a celebration party.

"Let's go, let's finish this celebration quickly. We finally get a chance to sleep in, but we still have to participate in club activities."

"Oh, Horio, it's alright. Let's just pretend we came out for training today."

"Yeah, Horio, don't be upset. Let's go, Oishi- Senpai and the others must have been waiting for a long time."

Seeing that his best friend was so grumpy when he woke up, Katsuro and Katsuo could only try to reason with him.

"Hey, stop right there, you brat!"

Just as Horio, still fuming, was about to leave, a familiar voice came from behind him.

Turning my head, I saw a man with silver-white hair wearing a white suit.

Horio frowned when he saw this; he hadn't expected to run into him on the street.

"What, you want to fight again, or do you want to lose to me again?"

Looking at Akutsu, who still had a fierce expression, Horio's words were utterly unceremonious.

"Hmph, don't get cocky. You little brat, aren't you good at tennis? Play another match with me, and I'll teach you a lesson."

Akutsu, hearing the provocative tone in Horio's words, wasn't angry. Instead, he took the initiative to challenge him.

"What, did you secretly practice after you left the Yamabuki tennis team? Even if you did, what difference would it make?"

"Stop talking nonsense. If you've got the guts, fight me."

"Tch, how annoying. Since you've practically delivered yourself to my doorstep, it wouldn't be right not to retaliate."

Just when I was wondering why I couldn't find a reason not to attend the victory celebration, Akutsu's appearance was undoubtedly a good opportunity.

Furthermore, Akutsu's strength is considered above average among junior high school students at this stage, which makes Horio more interested.

"Katsuro, you guys go to the celebration party first. Tell Katsuo Coach and Oishi- Senpai that I can't make it because I'm bothered by a fly."

After explaining the reasons to the two, Horio took Akutsu to the training gym.

There was no other way; I didn't bring my racket with me when I went out, so I had to go to the training hall.

"Same as always, you serve first, but there's no limit to the number of balls you can serve; keep serving until you can't serve anymore."

Inside the training hall, Horio looked at Akutsu opposite him and said...

"Kid, stop talking big. We'll see who falls first this time."

Akutsu's sharp eyes were fixed on Horio, exuding a terrifying aura.

"Oh, not bad! You've improved so much in such a short time. Looks like you've been practicing on your own."

Sensing the change in Akutsu's demeanor, Horio's eyes showed a hint of admiration.

Compared to his last match, Akutsu now exudes a more imposing and powerful aura, and his sharpness is even greater.

"Get ready to die, kid. I'll show you what I'm made of."

Akutsu then hit the tennis ball directly. Although it was an ordinary shot, Horio could see that it was extraordinary.

"They actually hit the sweet spot! Their talent is truly terrifying."

That's right, Akutsu was almost at the point where she had mastered the techniques for sweet spot preparation.

Among today's middle school students, none have yet discovered the sweet spot. Akutsu's ability to reach it in such a short time is truly astonishing.

"But even if I hit the sweet spot, this technique doesn't work on me."

After saying that, Horio swung his racket just like everyone else.

The tennis ball, which was originally a terrifying blow, struck Horio's racket, kicked up a cloud of dust, and then continued to swing as Horio swung his racket.

With an even more terrifying aura, Horio flew back to Akutsu's half of the court. Seeing Akutsu using his sweet spot to hit the ball, Horio simply did the same.

Akutsu had clearly anticipated that the sweet spot technique wouldn't be very effective against Horio, and he only used it in his exchanges.

The two continued to exchange blows using their sweet spots, going back and forth for over ten rounds.

Horio then intensified his attack, catching Akutsu off guard.

"I saw someone using this a few days ago and it seemed to work quite well, so I thought I'd try it on you. It looks really good."

Horio just used Kamishiro's Phantom Style, and since he was only fighting someone much weaker than himself, it was quite effective.

It cannot be used against opponents of similar strength; there are still limitations.

"But you definitely deserve praise; at least among middle school students so far, you're very strong."

"Tch, kid, stop putting on that act. The competition has only just begun."

Akutsu wasn't intimidated by Horio's shot; instead, he became even more excited.

Suddenly his aura changed, a red aura appeared around him, and his eyes also turned red, revealing a terrifying presence.

"The Beast's Aura, how interesting."

The Beast's Aura appeared, even more violent than before, but Akutsu was able to control it very well.

Horio had actually guessed it, since Akutsu had even learned the sweet spot technique, so he was bound to improve in other areas as well.

"Get ready, kid, I'm about to launch a fierce attack."

Akutsu, with red eyes and an aura of terror emanating from him, spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.

"Come on, I hope you can give me an even bigger surprise."

"Hmph, you wretched brat."

After saying that, Akutsu tossed the tennis ball he was holding into the air and swung his racket out with a powerful swing.

"The speed should have exceeded two hundred by now, has it freed its consciousness?"

Upon seeing the ball Akutsu hit, Horio immediately estimated its approximate speed.

The next second, he appeared at the ball's landing point using Inch Step, his racket slightly deformed by the tennis ball, but he still managed to return the ball.

"Looks like they've unlocked something amazing, but it'll probably put a strain on their body."

Horio felt the aggressiveness of the tennis ball the moment he received it; it was as if a wild beast was attacking him.

This should also be attributed to the Beast's Aura; Akutsu's mastery of these Beast's Aura likely stemmed from a deeper exploration in this area.

"Hmph, kid, how are you feeling? Can you still handle it? I'm not thinking about ending this soon."

With a dangerous smile on his face, Akutsu's reddened eyes glared like a wild beast eyeing its prey.

Seeing Horio return his serve, Akutsu vanished from his spot and reappeared at the net a second later.

He swung his racket again at the returning ball, aiming for Horio's position.

"Enjoy it again!"